Electric cars will be able to be charged in just 15 minutes thanks to a new rapidly charging battery that’s been invented by researchers in Singapore.

They have created a battery which can be recharged up to 70% in just two minutes – and with further work will be able to be used in electric vehicles.

The small, circular battery can also last for up to 20 years, the scientists at Nanyang Technological University said. It will be able to last for more than 10,000 charging cycles, much more than the batteries of today.

They believe it will hold huge potential for electric cars as it will allow them to be recharged quickly so that users can get back on the road.

It may also mean that we are able to keep give our phones and other devices a much-needed boost within minutes of them dropping into the red.

The researches replaced traditional graphite that has been used in batteries with a new gel material that is made from
titanium dioxide – found in soil.

They then turned the titanium dioxide into nanotubes that are thinner than a human hair.

They will now be attempting to build a large-scale prototype of the battery, which could be developed to be used in electric vehicles.

Chen Xiaodong, who developed the new batteries, said: “With our nanotechnology, electric cars would be able to increase their range dramatically with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars.”

“Equally important, we can now drastically cut down the waste generated by disposed batteries, since our batteries last ten times longer than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries.”

The tech is the latest ‘breakthrough’ in the world of ever-faster charging batteries.

Earlier this year a battery that can charge in just 30 seconds was shown off by Israeli start-up StoreDot.

They demonstrated a Samsung S4 phone being charged from being flat to full power in just 26 seconds, although this was much bigger than the battery of the Nanyang Technological University.

But the researchers told the BBC that they believe they would be able to scale it down to fit inside a mobile phone within one year, and then produce it at a commercially viable level by 2017.

London’s public transport, while extensive, isn’t exactly renowned for its futuristic features or design, particularly given parts of it are 150 years old.

However, that is set to change with the development of a new underground train design, dubbed the New Tube.

Among the new features are a row of digital screens in every carriage, which fill the space occupied by printed adverts in current underground trains. These should prove invaluable to commuters and tourists alike, providing live updates on travel in the city, information about upcoming stations and other valuable data, alongside adverts.

Designed for the cities deepest underground lines, the trains can be operated entirely without a driver. However Transport for London says that an operator who can move between the carriages will work on the trains, at least when they are first introduced in around a decade.

This is probably an attempt to placate the city’s increasingly concerned transport workforce. London has been slowly automating many of the jobs involved in the London Underground, prompting day-long strikes that have in the past left some commuters with no way of getting to work.

The new trains are designed by world-renowned design firm PriestmanGoode, which is known for its work on the World View space balloon.

“TfL wanted the New Tube for London to celebrate the great history of transport design in London, whilst acting as a beacon of innovative 21st century public transport,” explained company director Paul Priestman.

“We took inspiration from iconic London landmarks and key attributes of British design to create a tube that is beautiful, simple, functional and maintainable.”

Among the other features of the new trains are a complete walkthrough design – many of London’s existing underground trains confine passengers to specific carriages – and a responsive air conditioning system.

More significant, however, is the paired doors which will be located on stations. By creating a glass wall between the platform and track, stations will become far safer, preventing accidental falls in front of trains as well as suicide attempts.

One line in London currently has such doors, but in other areas of the city standing on the edge of the platform at rush hour and feel fairly perilous.

It is also a cause of delays, with trains unable to leave the station if people are standing too close to the edge on the platform.

“The New Tube for London will change the face of travel on the Underground,” said London Underground managing director Mike Brown.

“The faster, more frequent and more reliable services it will enable will help us keep pace with London’s growing population.

“The design respects the past but also looks to the future and with the very latest technology; including walk-through carriages and wider doors to enable people to get on and off quickly as well as providing air-cooling for the first time on the deep level lines.”